Join us at our next event

We host distinguished lectures and international conferences annually on the study of religion, which highlight student research alongside faculty presentations. Most proceedings are published in prominent academic series.

We are trailblazers

Rice‚Äôs Religion PhD program is ranked among the top 10 programs* in the USA in the discipline of Religious Studies, as a reflection of the faculty‚Äôs strong publication activity. We house 3 academic journals in the study of religion.
*Based on Academic Analytics Scholarly Productivity Index as of June 2016, release AAD2015.

Join us at our next event

We host distinguished lectures and international conferences annually on the study of religion, which highlight student research alongside faculty presentations. Most proceedings are published in prominent academic series.

We are trailblazers

Rice‚Äôs Religion PhD program is ranked among the top 10 programs* in the USA in the discipline of Religious Studies, as a reflection of the faculty‚Äôs strong publication activity. We house 3 academic journals in the study of religion.
*Based on Academic Analytics Scholarly Productivity Index as of June 2016, release AAD2015.

Elaine Howard Ecklund

Elaine Howard Ecklund is the Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology at Rice University, as well as founding director of the Religion and Public Life Program. Her current research addresses how individuals use race, gender, and religious identities to bring changes to religious and scientific institutions. She is the author of dozens of research articles and four books. She has received grants from the National Science Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation, John Templeton Foundation, Templeton World Charity Foundation, and Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. Her research has been cited thousands of times by local, national, and international media. In 2013, she received Rice University's Charles O. Duncan Award for Most Outstanding Academic Achievement and Teaching and in 2018 she will give the Gifford Lecture in Scotland. She has directed over 70 undergraduates in conducting research.

Courses:
SOC 451/551¬†¬† Immigration in a Global World
SOC 401/501¬†¬† Sociology of Religion
SOC 580¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬† Classical Sociological Theory
SOC 314¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬† Science at Risk? Out of the Lab and Into the Public Sphere
SOC 381¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬† Research Methods
¬†Awards:
2018¬†¬†¬† Selected, Gifford Lecturer (‚ÄúScience and Religion in Global Public Life‚ÄĚ), The University of Edinburgh, (prestigious lectureship on natural theology).
2016-¬†¬† Fellow, International Society for Science and Religion.
2014-2016¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬† Appointed Fellow, Executive Committee, International Society for Science and Religion.
2013¬†¬†¬† Winner of the Charles O. Duncan Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement, Rice University (Major University Award).
¬†Professional Service:
2016-2018¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬† Appointed Member, Committee on Professional Ethics, American Sociological Association
2014-2017 ¬†¬†¬†¬†¬† Invited Member, Publications Committee, Association for the Sociology of Religion
2014-2015¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬† Elected Chair, Section on Sociology of Religion, American Sociological Association
2012-¬†¬† ¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬†¬† Invited Member, Second Term, Editorial Board, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion

Exploring mechanisms of institutional change draws together Ecklund's research. Specifically, she is interested in how individuals develop identities that they use to bring change to institutions. Her research addresses this theoretical topic in the areas of religion, immigration, science, and gender.